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Update - Friends of Animals to New Jersey: Spare the Bears

November 22, 2005 | Bears

DARIEN, Conn. - As we reported last week, Bradley M. Campbell, the commissioner of New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection, has approved a controversial black bear hunt. Obviously the six-day killing period, slated to take place beginning on 5 December, will hinder the state and local communities' work to create viable and peaceful alternatives to shooting bears.

"Commissioner Campbell has been on and off with the hunt, watching for fluctuations in the number of bears," said Daniel Hammer, a program coordinator for Friends of Animals. "Bears are considered a problem, but the real problem is that leaders react, rather than sensibly respond."

Most New Jersey residents do not want a bear hunt, and believe that state officials need to address waste management in the state's bear habitat. Friends of Animals' bear consultant, Winthrop Staples III, a Wildlife Technician at Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, said, "In plain language, someone is liable to be killed by a bear because the New Jersey political class is too timid to mandate bear proof containers."

Want this hunt called off? Here's what to do:

Call the Office of Acting Governor Richard Codey. Tell the office that you are aware that the Governor can order a stop to the hunt. Politely ask for it to be promptly done.
Telephone: 609-292-6000; 609-777-2459
Facsimile: 609-292-3454; 609-777-0357
Webmail: http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html

Contact Governor-Elect Jon Corzine at the State House and politely request that the Governor-Elect live up to campaign promises to oppose the killing.
Telephone: 609-826-5100
Facsimile: 609-984-4747

Contact the Congressmembers listed below. Each supported the Corzine campaign. Politely request that they urge the Governor-Elect live up to campaign promises to oppose the killing.

Rush Holt: 202-225-5801
Frank Pallone: 202-225-4671

If you are from outside of New Jersey, tell these leaders that you will be far more likely to make plans for business or pleasure in the state of New Jersey if they do the right thing and end the killing before it begins.

Until the hunt is stopped, politely explain that you'll be writing to the media and to friends and family to educate people this week about the sensible way to respect other animals. Keep us informed of your progress so that we can keep others informed.

Comments

Submitted by Pamela J. Armento on Sun, 2005-12-04 20:40

I am very upset about this bear hunt!!!!! I can not believe how someone could actually take enjoyment out of killing an animal! My images of the last bear hunt in N.J., on the news of a cub shot, and crawling and bleeding, ripped my heart out! I will not be watching the news this week. I will continue to call all the numbers given. I will pray for a miracle!

Killing of bears is down right cruel. Hunters i believe love to kill. People who can hunt and kill innocent creatures definitely are lacking something in themselves and killing is their only way to prove something to themselves. Maybe they are not man enough and need some kind of control or power so they kill. I've given up on trying to figure it out. I just never would want to be friends with one of them. If people do not like these animals then stay in the cities and do not move in the country. We need Animal Laws so they can be protected and not let animal hating groups decide what is killed. DEP, CT AUDUBON, USDA, ETC ETC. The world is becoming more loving of animals/wildlife and believe they have a right to life as well.

I just want to make clear that i do hunt , but there should have been exstensive studies done about the bear ,both prevention and education should have been available . Instead the state of n.j. had no management plan as usual , thay are responsable for the devistation of the bear . I will never purchase another hunting license in n.j. as long as i live , knowing that fish and game are only out to manage the hunters and not our wildlife . As far as i am concerned this is a huge imbarissment for all of the states arogent law people .

Regarding the bear hunt, why don't the lawmakers put into practice a more ethical plan to decrease the bear population, like birth control. The same procedure can be used for the deer as well. This wouldn't have gotten so out of control if we just stop building, and leave some land for our wonderful creatures that have been on this earth long before us. If I have saved one helpless animal from being destroyed, then this was well worth writing. From a NJ animal lover and bird enthusiast.
[If you mean human birth control, Debbie, you'll get no argument from the blog editors.]

Seems the Fish and game, the DEP and so on down the line are just ALL HUNTERS and thats all that is being satisfied every time a brutal Kill of deer,bears,seals,wolves etc happens.They then proceed to make up excuse, after excuse how they need to thin out herds etc. Like Debbie said above, leave some land for these animals. Its the hunters that are causing the deer to run into streets and bears to go elsewhere. These poor animals are being chased out from where they live, by hunters. What is a nature preserve? It seems hunters now can go into these preserves where many of the animals make their home. Hunters now go in and kill? Where do you expect the animals to go, they run for their lives. Leave these innocent animals/wildlife alone. I find it interesting why its mostly men that hunt, was there a "kind" gene missing at birth?

I am against all hunting bear and deer and I am writing my own letters to the editor in the Courier News and the Hunterdon County Democrat. I have just protested a hunt for the handicapped, sponsored by the Hunterdon County Parks Dep't. and the NAT'L WILD TURKEY FEDERATION. feel like I am fighting this with just a few people.This has become an annual event. People who have vision and hearing impairments as well as paralysis and neurological problems are encouraged to hunt, with the help of volunteer hunters. I have also filed a complaint with the attorney general. If you can help I would appreciate it.

I don't think that any animal should be killed unless they are sick and cannot be cured. And anyone on here that is writing that the bears should be killed are IGNORANT and should be ashamed of themselves. There are other ways of dealing with animals rather than killing them for no reason. Maybe if people would stop building more strip malls and useless things we don't need, the animals wouldn't have to go where they don't belong just to find food to survive.